Recipe Background
Grammy's Secret Pie combines creamy custard, warm spices, and fluffy meringue.
This pie carries with it a sense of nostalgia, blending the warmth of spices with the rich creaminess of its filling. As it bakes, the entire kitchen fills with the cozy scent of cinnamon and cloves, inviting anyone nearby to come closer. Perfectly plumped raisins dot the smooth, custard-like filling, offering bursts of sweetness with every bite. The meringue topping, ethereally fluffy, provides a delightful contrast to the custard's dense richness.
In each slice, textures dance together. The filling is velvety and smooth, with the added crunch of optional nuts if you choose to include them. Toast them lightly first—they'll add an extra layer of flavor. The meringue's soft peaks, golden from the oven, almost melt on your tongue. As you cut through the pie, the filling holds together beautifully, inviting you to relish the harmony of flavors and textures.
Sharing this pie is like offering a slice of comfort. Whether served with coffee during an afternoon chat or as the grand finale to a family meal, it brings people together. Watching loved ones savor each forkful warms the heart—Grammy's pie has a way of making time feel special, no matter the occasion.
Ingredients
For the pie:
- 1 cup raisins
- water to taste
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 5 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1/2 cup nuts optional, of your choice, chopped
- 1 (9-inch) pie shell baked, according to the package directions
For the meringue:
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons sugar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small saucepan, add the raisins and enough of the water to cover them, then bring to a boil.
- Transfer the saucepan from the heat.
- In a large saucepan, add 2/3 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt, the cloves, and the cinnamon.
- Stir the sour cream and the milk into the sugar mixture until smooth.
- Cook the milk mixture over medium heat until it thickens and is bubbly.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the milk mixture from the heat.
- In a small bowl, stir a small amount of the hot filling into the egg yolks.
- Add the egg mixture to the remaining filling and stir constantly.
- Bring the filling to a gentle boil and cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the filling from the heat.
- Drain the raisins, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.
- Gently stir the raisin liquid into the filling.
- Stir the drained raisins and the nuts into the filling.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust.
- In a small bowl, add the egg whites and the remaining salt and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Gradually beat the remaining sugar into the meringue on high speed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft peaks form.
- Spread the meringue over the hot filling, being sure to spread it all the way to the crust.
- Bake the pie until it is golden-brown, about 15 minutes.
- Let the pie cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.
- Refrigerate the pie, about 1-2 hours.
- Slice and serve.
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